Benson Family Jewels
by Stupendous Seddie
Summary: So Sam and Freddie are married now. How did this happen? However your heart desires. The point is this is how their life goes starting with the birth of their first child, Cece. How are they parenting? Tons of father daughter moments.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Keywords on this here story: Bella Thorne. **

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><p>Cece's Birth – Freddie POV<p>

"Oh my gosh, Freddie, she's beautiful! Come hold her!" Sam yelled from her hospital bed, even though I was only about two feet away in a comfy chair by the wall.

Screw the comfy chair, though. That was my baby girl and I wanted to hold her. I picked her up and cradled her in my arms. And let me tell you. What my wife said was definitely no lie. Our baby girl was the most beautiful thing in the whole wide world. She had piercing blue eyes like her mommy's and unusually red hair, in a mohawk.

"Hey there, Cece," I said in awe of her beauty. "You can call me daddy for now. Ya know, if you ever talk or anything."

Sam giggled at the scene.

I felt the strong urge to do something. I held Cece upright in my arms and raised her up like in The Lion King.

"World, I present to you… Ms. Cecelia Carly Benson."

Sam laughed as I brought her back into my cradling arms. I rocked her back and forth and kissed her nose, causing Cece to giggle.

"C'mon, Benson, gimme my kid," Sam held out her arms.

"No, she's mine," I smiled and said.

"Just _one _minute and then you can have her back, I promise."

I sighed dramatically and carefully placed Cece back in Sam's arms.

"Jeez, you are gonna be _such _a daddy's girl," she told Cece and kissed her forehead.

Just at that moment, Carly burst through the door. "Gimme my goddaughter," she demanded.

Sam met her request and slowly handed Cece to her. "Support the head, Carls," she said.

It was official, Sam was in mother mode.

"Hi, Cece… I'm Auntie Carly, your new best bud," Carly said in baby talk. "She's _so adorable_, you guys," she said, without taking her eyes off Cece.

"We know this very well," Sam agreed.

Spencer burst into the hospital room and started talking in his usual loud voice. "Where's the little baby person?"

Carly whipped around and shushed him. "Sh! My goddaughter's trying to snooze!"

Sam and I chuckled and watched Carly and Spencer fawn over the sleeping Cece.

Too bad a nurse walked in and ruined everything.

"Whoa, we can't have this many people in here at once," she said.

Carly looked at Spencer, "Well, I'm not leaving."

"Well, neither am I! This kid is awesome!" Spencer countered.

"_Both _of you guys need to go back to Seattle, it's a long drive," I said.

Sam and I had moved to Michigan so I could go to U of M after we graduated high school. We had moved into a farmhouse with a barn not that far away where Sam had her horses that she took care of. Did I mention I was a billionaire, by the way? Whoops.

I made my money with my new invention that Sam encouraged me to make. It was a self building Christmas tree. It doesn't hang up all your ornaments for ya, but it unfolds, spreads out its branches and fits into a postal box every year. And since its fake, it never dies. Apparently people like that kind of stuff. No doubt in my mind, this kid was going to be spoiled. But if I had anything to say about it, she was NOT going to be rotten.

Carly sighed. "Yeah… I guess we better go…" Then she returned to her happy baby voice. "Bye, Cece! Call me sometime, we can chill!" she said and handed her back to me. "Do you guys know when her baptism is?"

"Exactly one month from now," Sam answered.

"You guys are coming, right?" I asked.

"Of course!" Carly responded immediately and leaned down to see Cece in my arms. "I wouldn't pass on an excuse to see little Cece…"

"What about you, Spence?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, sure I'll be there-"

"Look, all I know is you two got three seconds to get outta here," the nurse butt in threateningly.

Carly and Spencer immediately started hurrying towards the door, calling out behind them. "Bye guys! Bye Cece!"


	2. Chapter 2

Chickens – Freddie POV

"I can't believe you convinced me to build this," I said as Sam came outside to see me, holding a two-year-old Cece in her arms.

"Yeah… Daddy's easily worked, isn't he, Cece?" Sam said.

Cece raised her hands in the air. "YEAH!" she said, giggling.

I pounded one last nail into our new chicken coop and took Cece from Sam's arms. "What are you teaching my kid, Sam?" I laughed.

Sam smiled. "Hey, I must be teaching that kid fine, because she is _smart_, man. Tell daddy what you helped me with today," she told Cece.

Cece's mouth formed into the shape of an 'O' and her eyes got all bright as she remembered what she did today. "I helped mommy make the cookies!"

I gasped. "That's so cool!"

Cece crinkled her eyes and smiled hugely with all the baby teeth she had. I tell you, this kid can bring out the sunshine on the rainiest day in Seattle. Maybe that's why Carly always asked if she could have her. Apart from the fact that she's just the most adorable kid in the whole wide world.

Her curly red hair was in a mess all over her head, just a redder version of mommy's hair.

Sam brushed past us and investigated the chicken coop. "Hey, babe, you did a really good job on this," she praised.

"Thanks," I accepted.

Cece wrapped her arms around my neck and rested her head on my chest.

"Is it done?" Sam asked.

"Hmm. What do you think, Cece, is it done?"

Cece nodded her head against my chest.

"You need a nap, don't you?" I asked.

She nodded her head again and closed her eyes.

I turned back to Sam, who was smiling at us. "Yeah, it's just about done. I can go get the chickens from the barn now if you want."

"Yeah, do it now!" she said eagerly.

"Kay. Take the little rebel and put her down for a nap," I motioned my head towards Cece who was struggling to fall asleep in my arms.

"Kay. C'mon, Cece. Daddy's bringin out the game," Sam said.

Cece jumped from one parent to the other and closed her eyes again. "Somebody's tired," Sam commented.

"Me," Cece added, as if Sam's comment was a question.

"You? You're tired?" Sam asked.

Cece nodded her head again.

"I never would've guessed. Say 'Bye, daddy'."

Cece waved her hand tiredly as Sam brought her back into the house. "Bye, daddy."

"Bye, Cece," I cooed back at her. She was just so adorable. Most definitely a daddy's girl. She pulled at my heartstrings on a secondly basis.


	3. Chapter 3

First Dog – Freddie POV

"So what am I supposed to name you?" I asked the bulldog sitting in the passenger seat of my pickup truck. Cece had wanted a puppy for her third birthday, but I think Sam wanted it more.

I snuck a glimpse at the female dog and then focused my attention back on the dirt road.

"You look like a troublemaker," I commented.

The puppy yipped and propped its head up on its front paws.

"I think I got an idea for your name."

The puppy sat up, interested to find out what its name was.

"Nah, you wait until we're with Sam and Cece. Then we'll unveil your name," I decided.

She grunted and stuck her head out the window, enjoying the country Autumn air. Cece's birthday was September 23rd, which was basically pretty much a holiday to the toddler mind.

I drove through the long, straight, dirt driveway and parked on the grass in front of the barn. As soon as I stepped out of the car, I heard Cece running from the house a good distance away.

"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" she said as her short legs finally brought her to me.

"Cece! Cece! Cece!" I mimicked her. She jumped into my arms and wrapped her legs around my back. I kissed the side of her head and she wrapped her arms around my neck. This is what happens when we're separated for more than two minutes. "Where's mommy?" I asked her.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know."

"CECE, WHERE'D YOU GO?" Sam called from the house.

"SHE'S DOWN HERE!"

"DOWN WHERE?"

"AT THE BARN!"

"I'M COMIN!"

Cece covered her ears the whole time.

"Cece, you have to-" I saw that she still had her hands over her ears while I was talking to her. "Put your hands down, ya goofball!"

She giggled and wrapped her arms around my neck again. "You're a goofball."

"_I'm _a goofball?" I smiled.

She nodded her head.

"Alright, so what if I am?" I asked.

She giggled.

"Anyways… Cece, you have to tell mommy or me whenever you go somewhere without us, okay?"

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay!" she shouted through her constant stream of giggling.

And when I say constant, I mean constant. My baby girl is almost always laughing.

I set her down and she ran towards her mommy who was taking her sweet time walking towards the barn. She was almost there. Sam picked up Cece and carried her back to me. I pecked Sam on the lips as she set Cece back down on the ground.

"Did ya get her?" she asked me.

I nodded my head and tapped the car passenger door I was leaning against.

"Get who?" Cece asked innocently.

Sam picked Cece up in her arms and held her at eye level with us.

"Cece, what day is it today?" I asked.

"Is my birthday!" she slurred.

"And what did you want for your birthday?" Sam asked her.

Cece was a seriously smart kid. "Gimme the puppy!" she demanded.

Freddie smiled and turned around to open the car door. He grabbed the leash quickly before the bulldog could escape. The puppy jumped out of the car and immediately rolled around in the grass.

Sam lowered Cece to the ground and she started to roll around in the grass with it. Sam laughed and took a picture with her cell phone. "Cece, what do you say to daddy?"

"Thank you, daddy," she recited.

"You're welcome, Cece," I said. We were trying to teach her manners. So far, so good. Saying that Sam didn't have many and all…

"What's her name?" Sam asked curiously.

"Wilma," I answered.

"Hi Wilma!" Cece said as the puppy tackled her to the ground.

"Why Wilma?" Sam asked.

"Just wait," I answered.

_THE NEXT MORNING_

Sam and I woke up to find little yellow puddles scattered around the wooden kitchen floor, and I knew exactly what to say.

"Wilma!" I yelled, stretching out the vowels.

And that actually got Sam laughing at my resemblance to Fred Flintstone.


	4. Chapter 4

All Out Sick – Freddie POV

"What's wrong with you?" I asked Cece.

I meant it. I had offered her a cookie. And she turned it down. I mean, this was Sam's kid for crying out loud.

"I no feel good," she said and frowned.

"You don't feel good?" I asked.

I set the cookie down on the table next to the couch and brought Cece up onto my lap. Which in the long run, probably was not the best idea.

Cece shook her head in answer to my question.

"Hmm… What hurts?" I asked.

She pointed to her stomach. "Tummy."

"Oh, you gotta tummy-ache?"

She nodded her head up and down. And what happened next was inevitable. Let's just say I needed to get the laundry done sooner than I thought.

"All better!" she yelled.

"Yeah, I bet," I said as I set her down on the ground to keep her from getting messy, too.

I stood up to keep the couch clean. "Hey, mommy?"

Sam came rushing down the stairs and stepped into the living room. She tried to choke back her laughter as Cece sat on the floor, smiling proudly.

"How do you do the laundry?" I asked.

Sam settled for going into hysteric giggling, in which Cece joined in.

Yeah. This is my family.

"Cece, did you do that to daddy?" Sam asked.

Cece shook her head back and forth.

"Cece," I warned. She knew better than to lie.

"Did you do that to daddy?" Sam asked again.

This time Cece nodded her head, but still with a devious smile on her face.

"C'mere, sick-o," Sam laughed as she picked Cece up. "Go change out of those clothes, I'll wash 'em later," she told me.

I nodded and started to walk past them to get to the stairs, but Sam grabbed the sleeve of my shirt.

"Wait. Cece, what do you say to daddy?"

"I sorry, daddy," she spoke quietly.

"I'm sure," I said before kissing her head and walking upstairs.

Sure, my daughter threw up on me and she and my wife laughed because of it. But they were my two favorite people in the whole wide world.


	5. Chapter 5

Summer With Gramma Benson – Freddie POV

"But it's… _pink_," I heard my daughter scowl.

Sam and I burst into laughter. My mom shot us a glare at the couch that we were sitting on.

Why my mom chose to just out of the blue come see us, I would never know.

"But it would look so pretty on you, Cecelia," she tried again.

"But it's _pink_," Cece repeated sternly.

"Mom, if she doesn't wanna wear it, she doesn't have to," I said, pointing to the pink baseball hat.

"_Thank you_, daddy," she said, rushing over to hug me.

"You two are spoiling her," my mom said.

"Hey, I choose to spoil her while I can still afford to," I defended.

"Daddy, what does afford mean?" Cece asked.

"Sweetie, check out these blocks Gramma got you," Sam said, trying to distract the little girl, which worked.

Cece and Sam played with the blocks on the other side of the room while my mom moved over to the couch I was sitting on.

"Fredward, you are _always _gonna be able to afford to spoil that little girl. What with that tree thing of yours selling every day and that jingle Sam wrote playing all over television," she pointed out.

"So what if I spoil Cece? She knows good manners, she has a conscious and she doesn't like pink, I see nothing wrong with that," I said.

I knew Sam was listening to this conversation while she was playing with Cece. I caught her smiling out of the corner of my eye.

My mom huffed impatiently.

"Okay! She'll wear the hat!" I said, snatching the cap from her hand.

My mom smiled. She had aged over a few years. Her hair was graying, and she had wrinkles growing over her face. She was a grandma.

I walked over to the other side of the room to my wife and daughter.

Sam scooped her up in her arms and brought her to eye level with us.

"Alright, Cece, ya gotta wear it," I said as I put it on her head.

She pouted and jutted out her bottom lip. "I don't wanna!" she whined and stuck it on _my _head.

Sam giggled at the pink hat on her husband's head. Well, who wouldn't?

"Oh, does it look good on me?" I kidded, striking a pose.

Cece giggled and nodded her head.

"Well," I said, taking it off of my head and sticking it back on her own, much to her dismay. I leaned in to whisper in her ear, "Just until Gramma leaves tonight, okay?"

She pouted but nodded her head. Sam handed her to me and Cece wrapped her arms around my neck, still frowning. I kissed her cheek over and over until it was like I was eating her. And I mean, who wouldn't want to eat her up? I did that until she was smiling and giggling again. I was pretty sure she had forgotten the color of her baseball hat.

She rested her head on my chest as I sat back down on the couch with her on my lap. She started to play with the Rubix Cube that was on the table. She had learned the key to solving it months ago, something neither me nor Sam could do. 'What an oddly gifted child' is the thought that ran through my mind every day.

"Cece, what do you say to Gramma for the blocks and the hat?" Sam asked.

I knew Cece was going to put off thanking my mom for the hat as long as she could, but now she was cornered.

She reluctantly tore her eyes away from the Rubix Cube and put on mock thankfulness. "Thank you, Gramma," Cece said, very believably, in fact. Quite the actress. She was really a liar, but actress sounded like a better term.

Hey, she only _acted _to spare people's feelings.

"You're welcome, Cecelia," my mom said, standing up off the couch.

Cece grimaced at the use of her full name. Gee, where have I seen that before?

"Well, Gramma must be heading out early," my mom said, taking Cece from my arms for a final hug and kiss.

"Leaving so soon?" Sam asked. She was just as good an actress as Cece.

"Yeah, it's a long drive back to Seattle," she said as she worked her way out the back door. Sam followed behind her, holding Cece's hand. Cece had been walking _and _was potty trained by the time she was two, and she was going to be four in only a couple months.

As I watched my mom drive down the driveway, and my daughter waving bye to her, I realized something. I have the best life in the whole wide world.


	6. Chapter 6

What A Mess – Freddie POV

"Oh, c'mon Cece, just let me do it," I begged with a smile.

The little girl shook her head back and forth, quickly and repeatedly, laughing. I sighed and looked down at the hairbrush in his hands, with a bunch of copper red hairs in it from previous attempts.

"If you let me brush your hair, you can wrestle mommy for the last pieces of pizza," I persuaded.

Cece swirled around on the bed and looked me dead in the eye. "You better not be joking," she said.

I put my hands up in defeat. "I kid you not."

She looked thoughtful for a moment. "I want mommy to do it."

"No, Cece, mommy's out in the barn with Leo," I said sternly.

She stomped her foot on the ground, "But I want _mommy _to do it!" she yelled.

"Cece, if you whine one more time, I'm gonna call Santa and tell him all about it," I said as I pulled out my cell phone.

Cece's smirk disappeared from her face and her eyes got glassy. "Y-you wouldn't…" she said.

"I wouldn't? Well… It just so happens that I have the big guy on speed dial," I countered.

"But tomorrow's Christmas!" she complained on the verge of tears.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Hey, I don't make the rules. That's just how it's been since I was a kid. Whiny girls and boys get coal in their stockings," I explained.

"I'm not whiny!" she, ironically, whined.

I held up the hairbrush to remind her that she did, in fact, whine.

Cece slumped her shoulders. "Oh." She turned her back to him on the bed and clamped her eyes shut. "Just get it over with then."

I smiled and rolled my eyes at the drama of it all caused by this six-year-old. I raised my arm and ran the purple brush through the first curly red tress.

"Ow!" Cece exclaimed.

"I'm not gonna do the whole thing, just enough to make you presentable," I said. We had church in a couple of hours. I just wanted to get her hair _over _with. It was worse than her mom's.

"You promise?" she questioned.

"I promise," I swore.

I ran the brush through another curl at the back of her head.

"Daddy, that hurts!" Cece yelled.

"I know, I'm sorry, princess," I said as I kissed the top of her head.

She huffed and slumped her shoulders.

"OW!" she screamed again.

"Cece, I didn't even _touch _you that time," I said with a smile.

Life only gets better.


	7. Chapter 7

Other Things – Freddie POV

"Happy birthday, squirt," I said as I came down the stairs and saw Cece eating cereal at the kitchen table.

"Thanks. Where's mom?" she asked cautiously.

"Oh… Ya know… Just… mourning and whatnot?" I answered, sitting down next to her.

"I'm sorry," she responded, turning her attention to her fascinating cereal.

I would've made a good breakfast for Cece's birthday, but Sam does all the cooking. And Sam was… unavailable. Due to… other things.

"Nah… You don't need to be sorry. It's not your fault."

"Well it's not yours and it's definitely not mom's!" she said.

"We know that."

She stood up and literally threw her bowl in the sink. "Gah, then who's is it?"

"Cece, calm down. It's nobody's fault… It was planned," I offered.

"Oh, right. God's oh so _magical _plan. Writing off infants before they're even born," she said sarcastically.

"Cece, I know you're upset and we all are. But that does not give you the right to go knocking God."

As Cece was about to rebuttal, Sam walked downstairs.

"H-Hi, mom…" Cece stammered.

"Good morning, Cece! Happy birthday!" she said, more chipper than ever.

She wrapped Cece in a hug, which Cece confusedly returned. Over Sam's shoulder, she gave me a 'What-In-The-World?' look, which I returned with a shrug of the shoulders and the mouthing of the words, 'Go with it'.

Sam unwrapped her arms around Cece. "So what did you want for breakfast?"

"Oh, I-I already ate, really, I'm fine," she stuttered.

"And what did you have?"

"Cereal."

"And what did you have in it?" Sam pestered.

"Root beer."

"Well, good, at least it was a balanced breakfast," Sam said as she poured some chocolate milk.

"Mom, a-are you okay?"

"I am perfectly fine," she responded as she took a sip of her chocolate milk.

I grabbed the cup from her. "Sam, you can not keep acting like this."

"Acting. Like. What," she said, pronouncing each word.

"You can't pretend that you're fine when you know you're not!"

"Well what do you want me to do?" she yelled.

"I don't know, rant! Or yell or just talk or something! You can't keep acting like everything is okay!"

"_I don't wanna _rant or yell or-"

"STOP!"

That would be Cece in case you were wondering. I would never have the nerve to interrupt my wife.

"You _both _are handling this the wrong way! Dad, if mom wants to cope by being _nice_, then let her cope by being nice! And mom, you can act like nothing's wrong on the outside, but it's gonna be eating you alive on the inside. Gah…" she stopped and grabbed her forehead. "If either of you wanna rant or yell or talk, I'll be in my room waiting for my lecture on being insubordinate," she turned around and walked towards her room, but not before turning back to face us. "On my birthday." And then she was gone.

"Why did this happen. To us," Sam asked.

"C'mon, Sam, you know there's no answer to that."

"Well, why do you think, huh? We're good people, we go to church, we don't swear, and we donate money to charity, so why is this happening to us?" she begged for an answer. "And how come you're not upset?"

"You don't think I'm _upset_? Sam, I'm furious!"

"Then how come this is the first time you've mentioned it?"

"Because, I-… Look. I loved that kid. Whoever he or she was. I never got to meet him or her, but that's not gonna change my love. That was my son or daughter," I said.

"You still haven't answered my question."

"Because I'm avoiding it!"

She looked me in the eyes.

"And I'm not gonna choose to feel sorry for myself when I can spend my time doing something better. Listen," I said and grabbed Sam's hands. "We're never gonna forget that kid. Nothing can change that. But you know what? We still have an amazing life. And we do have a family, which one third of is in her room, upset, on her birthday."

Sam took a deep, shaky breath.

"And she was right," I continued. "We aren't handling this the right way."

"Am I ever gonna stop feeling like this? Like there's something I could've done? I know there was something I could've done!"

"No! Sam! There isn't! And you will stop feeling like that in time."

She leaned up against the counter and crossed her arms. "When did Cece become smarter than us?"

"Well, she's a teenager now. Officially now knows more than her parents."


	8. Chapter 8

I Know You Better – Freddie POV

A thirteen-year-old Cece stood in front of a dark haired man with large muscles and a full head of hair. He looked around middle age. That would be me, by the way.

"Dad, if you don't let me go to the dance then… then… Then I'm not going at all!" Cece yelled.

I was confused, but only for a moment. "Um… Oh, so that's how you wanna play it? Fine! Don't go to the dance!" I caught myself before I helped Cece realize what she had just said.

"Yeah! That's what I JUST said, dad," Cece snarked

I grinned. "Was that _back talk _I heard, Cece?"

I was king of the time-outs. Even if Cece was thirteen years old.

"Uh… No, of course not! I was just… You know what, yeah it was back talk! And I am _not _going to the dance, no matter what you say!" she snapped.

I smiled slyly and looked down at my wife who was sitting at the kitchen table with a mug of hot chocolate, watching in amusement.

"Cecelia Benson…" I started.

"That's my name, don't wear it out," she said triumphantly.

"Since when are there dances for homeschoolers anyways?" Sam cut in.

"I honestly have no idea," I responded.

Yeah. I grew up going to a public high school. I didn't want my child that… Uneducated.

"Sure, why don't you guys talk about me like I'm not here?" Cece said.

"CECELIA CARLY BENSON," I boomed. Cece needed to be well behaved. It's how we raised her.

Cece jumped in shock of the loud noise as Sam offered a more calm repercussion, "Cece, cool the attitude."

"Sorry," Cece offered.

"Don't apologize to me, apologize to your father," Sam instructed.

Cece sighed and looked up at me. She was only 5'1, like her mom. Not the tallest person in the world.

"Dad, I'm sorry, but I really wanna go to the dance," she said with puppy-dog eyes.

Wait a minute. Something was off here.

"_No, you don't_," Sam said in all seriousness. That's what I was thinking.

Cece looked at her, "I-I do too!"

"Cece," I stated in an 'you-don't-think-I-know-you-by-now' way.

"I do!" Cece said, slightly stronger.

"Cece, do you hear yourself?" I asked my daughter. "You hate dancing, sweat, _and_ people. That's pretty much what a dance is."

"I do not _hate _people," Cece countered.

"Cece," Sam said.

There was a pause where both parents looked at their child. "OKAY! So I don't like people very much!"

Sam and I smiled at each other.

"But people are stupid!" Cece reasoned.

"_That's _my girl," Sam whispered, even though it was within earshot of all the other people in the room.

I took a step closer to Cece. "So why do you want to go this dance, then?" I asked calmly.

"I-I-I just-," she looked like she was about to cry. She saw the light peaking in from the blinds in our country farmhouse, "I have to feed Leo," and then she ran out of the house and into the barn.

Sam got up from her spot at the table. "I got her."

"No, I'll get her," I said.

Sam started heading up the wooden stairs as I walked outside in the snow to get to Cece in the cherry-red barn. I found her feeding oats to a gray horse with white spots. "Cynical, evil, sarcasm enthusiast," she said without turning to see me. She knew I was there.

"You better not be talking about your mother," I joked.

She brushed her hands together and leaned against the railing of a stall to face me. She had tears streaking down her face, and immediately I felt bad for joking at a time like this. "Nope. Cynical, evil, sarcasm enthusiast. Cese for short. It's the new nickname the kids at the co-op gave me. Ya like it?" she said, crashing to the pellet floor, burying her face in her hands.

"Cece!" I exclaimed as I crashed next to her and wrapped my arms around her small frame.

She tried pushing and kicking me away, but my grip only got tighter. "No! No! No…" she screamed into my chest.

She resisted for a minute more, but then gave up. She hugged me back and just sobbed into my chest.

It suddenly occurred to me why Cece wanted to go the dance so badly. To take a step away from unsocial Cese. Well, no way was my kid going to that stupid place anymore. Not if they were going to treat my Cece like a Cese. It's not like it would make a difference. All she did was take band, and let's face it. Her band teacher was like a thousand years old and had no idea where he was. Sam could teach her better.

I rubbed the palm of my hand in circles on Cece's back, a technique that used to calm Sam down. I was cradling Cece in my lap, something she hadn't let me do since she was a little girl. And trust me. She was not a little girl anymore. But she was to me.

Bullies suck.

Cece may enjoy using sarcasm most of the time, but she was neither cynical nor evil in any way, shape, or form. She was the sweetest girl in the world and she always would be. So she threw a tiny tantrum once or twice. But it was literally only once or twice in her whole lifetime.

It was freezing in here. So cold that I was sure Cece's tears would freeze to her face. I grabbed the blanket off the bench and laid it on top of our laps. It smelled like horses, but practically everything around here did. We only kept it in here in case one of us locked ourselves out of the house and ended up here somehow.

"Dad, make it stop! Make it stop!" she cried.

"Sh…" I hushed, kissing the top of her head.

I just wanted to let her cry for now. Crying always helped, as long as it wasn't for some selfish reason. Right now it was perfectly acceptable.

Now, allow me to explain Cece's genetic make-up. Except for the hair coloring, which came out of nowhere, Cece is almost the exact clone of her mother. A little nicer.

She had no problem standing up for other people, calling bullies out on their insecurities. However, Cece wasn't as abrasive as her mother, therefore she didn't have as much of a 'rep' as her mother had with bullies, making her herself a target. Hence, Cese.

However, as I said before, Cece is not the EXACT clone of her mother. She did end up with some of my genes, and they do show up. And truth be told, if I didn't have a Sam when I was her age to beat me and toughen me up, I probably would've been doing the same thing that Cece was doing right now. Crying my eyes out.

That's pretty much it. She was very sensitive, no matter what front she puts up, she uses sarcasm like oxygen, most people annoy her, she hates pink, she loves animals, and she can hula hoop like there's no tomorrow. So why was this happening to her?

"Cece, I think you've cried all your tears," I said gently.

I wanted to get her inside as soon as possible. She had on a thick sweatshirt, but even that couldn't stand up to freezing snow.

She sniffled again and slid off of my lap, keeping her legs over mine, though. She looked down at the ground, her extremely long fiery curls almost touching the floor.

"Cece, listen to me," I said.

She looked up at me and stared at me with those big, blue eyes. They didn't change like her mom's. They were always a piercing light blue, no matter what her mood was.

"You are the sweetest, kindest, nicest, most intelligent, caring, most beautiful girl in the world. And nothing that anyone says or does can _ever _change that, you understand?" I asked.

She smiled weakly and nodded her head. "Understood."

I got up and helped her to her feet. "And you're grounded until further notice." Hey, she still threw a tantrum. And tantrums do not go unpunished in the Benson household.

She smiled and nodded her head again. "Understood."

I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and started walking towards the house. "I love you, Cece."

"I love you too, dad."

I've always had the best kid in the world.


	9. Chapter 9

Shockers – Freddie POV

We didn't buy Cece all the new gadgets and gizmos that came out every single day. However, we did drag out the ancient Wii Fit from when Sam and I were teenagers.

Cece was still getting used to it, but she had already mastered pretty much everything.

"What's the point of this again?" she asked as she brought her foot out behind her and held it there with perfect balance in a yoga pose.

"To get you off your lazy butt and seriously, how are you doing that?" I asked, my thoughts being interrupted by my amazement.

"Okay, 1.) My butt is not lazy and 2.) I'm just doing what the hot virtual trainer guy told me to do," she said as she brought her leg back down to the board.

"Cece," I warned.

"Yeah, yeah, no talking about guys in front of you," she recited.

She lifted her other leg up and held it there, picking up her conversation with me.

"Where's mom?" she asked.

"She went to bed," I answered.

"Yeah, big shocker there," she responded sarcastically.

Sam had a reputation for changing into pajamas at the first sign of sunset and turning in to bed at eight.

Cece brought her leg back down.

"_Great job! Come back every day to improve your balance and stability!_" the trainer said.

"My balance and stability is perfectly fine, thank you very much," was her rebuttal. "Dad, is there anything remotely entertaining on here?" she asked me.

I smiled. "Yeah, I think I know one that you might like. Gimme the remote," I said.

She tossed it to me and watched me pick the game. I handed her the remote back. She turned her attention back to the TV and read the instructions on the screen I brought up. Her eyes brightened just looking at it.

"Whoa, really?"

"Yup," I said.

"Dang, dad, your childhood was awesome," she said as she started hula-hooping to her heart's content.

"Yeah. _Real_ awesome." If only she were there.

"What, you didn't have a happy childhood?" she smirked, noting my sarcasm.

"Oh, my childhood was just fantastic, Cece, just fantastic," I smiled.

"What's with all the sarcasm? That's me and mom's thing," she said.

"What a lucky guy I am," I joked.

"Don't you forget it," she said, taking me seriously. "Seriously, what was wrong with your childhood?" she asked.

I smiled. "You don't really wanna know, Cece, you want me to leave so you can hula hoop some more," I pointed out.

"I do not! You know what they say. Never hula hoop alone," she said.

"Who said that?" I asked, confused.

"Me. Just a few seconds ago. You were there, remember? You're losin' it, old man," she joked.

"Cece," I warned. She was my best friend, but she was still my daughter.

"Sorry. But seriously, tell me," she pestered.

"You seriously don't know?" I asked.

"I think we've established that I don't," she said.

"Have you _met _your Gramma?" I asked in disbelief.

Cece started laughing hysterically while trying to remain hula hooping. "_Oh_," she laughed some more. "Now I got it," she said, not even trying to keep a straight face.

"You're such a people person," I joked.

"Hey, thanks. So elaborate," she asked.

"Mmkay. Well, for starters, my allowance was eight bucks a month."

"Why eight bucks a month?"

"She was afraid I'd buy a bus ticket and leave her," I explained.

This time Cece actually tried to stifle her giggles. "Please, do go on."

"Alright. I got weekly tick baths," I admitted.

"Have I ever mentioned how lucky I am?" she asked.

"On occasion."

"Well, don't let me forget it," she demanded while swiveling her hips to the rhythm.

"We try not to," I said.

"So what else?"

"Gramma pounded my medicine with a mallet, cut my food into non-chokeable pieces and made me eat mushrooms on a daily basis."

"Why was she pounding your medicine?" she asked.

"So I wouldn't choke on them," I explained.

"But… they're pills… They make 'em so you _don't _choke on 'em," she reasoned.

"Hey, would you mind going back in time and telling Gramma that?" I joked.

"Nah. Could throw off the space time continuum. I would hate to have never been born or something of that nature," she joked along with me.

"Smart girl."

"Anything else?" she bugged me.

"Gramma didn't get along with your mom so well," I said.

"Oh look, more big shockers," she said sarcastically. "Dad, this is so much fun, you gotta try this with me," she said, grabbing my arm and pulling me to stand next to her.

I looked at her in shock. She couldn't possibly expect me to be able to do that.

"Do it!" she yelled.

"Cece!"

"There's only ten seconds left! Please, for me…" she said.

Ugh… That's what I get for letting her talk to her godmother over the phone.

I did my best to hula hoop to the best of my abilities for the last ten seconds, going out with a 'pop'.

"What was _that_?" Cece asked.

"I think I popped my hip!" I stated.

She looked at me knowingly.

"Go on, say it, you know you want to," I told her.

"Nah. I prefer to be not grounded if that's okay with you," she said.

"Smart girl."


	10. Chapter 10

But It's Stupid – Thirteen – Freddie POV

The great thing about Cece being homeschooled was that we could monitor everything she did. That way, she could never doze off or be distracted by other students. However, somehow Cece always managed to forget that.

I walked into the living room, where she usually did her homework, at about noon. I found her laid out on the couch, her legs swung over the arm, watching Full House.

"Cece…" I started, confused.

"Uh-huh," she asked, nonchalantly.

"Where's your algebra schoolwork?"

She looked deep into thought for a minute and then remembered. "Oh! I didn't understand it, so I didn't do it."

"Cece!"

"What! The numbers jump around the page and confuse me!" she defended.

"Cece, you are _so _not blaming your dyslexia on this. Just admit you wanted to watch Full House and we can move on," I demanded.

"Fine, I just wanted to watch Full House."

"Okay, for starters, why? That show is from before _I _was born," I explained.

"Yeah, but all the TV shows today are about 'gettin wit da ladies'," she said in her gangster voice.

"Cece, TV off. Now," I commanded.

She groaned and clicked it off with the remote, sitting up on the couch.

"Do the algebra assignment."

"But it's stupid!" she complained.

"It is not stupid, Cece," I tried to reason with her.

"If it's not stupid, then how come I can't understand it?" she pointed out.

"Just do it," I begged.

"Dad, I seriously want to, but I seriously can't."

"Cece, don't make me bring in the enforcer," I said, referring to her mother.

"You wouldn't," she challenged.

"I won't, if you do your homework."

"I told you I can't!"

"Why not?"

"Because I don't know what X is!" she complained.

I clenched my hands together in impatience. "If I help you find X, will you _do _your homework?"

"YES!"

"Well, why didn't you start with that?"

"Because you never asked!" she smiled at how stupid this discussion was getting.

"What's all the yelling about?" Sam asked as she rounded the corner to the living room.

"Cece won't do her homework."

"I can't find X."

Sam turned to face me and gave me a bored look. "So help her find X!"

"See? Mom's on my side," Cece stated triumphantly.

"Mom is not on any sides," I clarified.

"_Mom _is standing right here and finds this conversation pointless," Sam said and grabbed the algebra book. She skimmed over the page. "X is 15, now do the homework," she said, putting the book back on the table.

"Thank you, _mom_," Cece said, turning her attention back to the book.

"Oh, don't put the emphasis on 'mom' like I didn't even try to help you," I smirked.

She looked up at me briefly. "Your words, not mine."

Sam giggled and disappeared back into the kitchen.

I took slow footsteps towards Cece. "_Such _a clever girl you are, Cece," I said slyly.

She put her pencil down and smiled at me. "Uh huh."

"Well, let's see you clever your way out of this one," I said.

"Clever my way out of what-" she started, but was cut off my fist giving her noogies all over her head.

She started laughing and giggling. "Stop it, stop it, stop it! Dad, stop it!" But her defenses only made her laugh harder.

"Say 'Uncle'."

"Uncle!"

"Say 'Uncle'!"

"Uncle!"

I let her go and she backed as far away from me as she could on the couch, trying to tame her hair back to the moderately messy way she had it. "So not cool," she stated.

I stood up and smiled. "Teach ya to be a smartass."

"Nyeh nuh nuh," she mimicked in her generic guy voice.

I smirked and walked back into the kitchen to help Sam with whatever project she was working on. But it wasn't long before the silence was broken.

"MOM? WHAT WAS X, AGAIN?"


End file.
